Redbooks are a great way of learning a new technology or a
reference for configuration.I have used
them for years not just in storage but for X series servers and for software
like TSM.The people that write the
books spend a great deal of time putting them together and I believe most of
them are written by volunteers.

This is the third edition of this Redbook and if you have
read this before here are some of the changes:

Updated information:

-Latest N series model and feature information.

-Updated the IBM Redbook to reflect VMware vSphere 4.1
environments

New information:

-Information for Virtual Storage Console 2.x has been added

This book on N series and VMware goes through the introduction
of both the N series systems and VMware vSphere.There are sections on installing the systems,
deploying the LUNs and recovery.After
going through this Redbook, you will have a better understanding of a complete
and protected VMware system.If you need
help with how to size your hardware there is a section for you. If you are
looking to test how to run VMs over NFS, its in there too!

One of the biggest issues with virtual systems is making
sure you have proper alignment between the system block and the storage
array.This will negatively impact the
system by a factor of 2 in most random reads/writes as two blocks will be
required for one request.To avoid this
costly mistake or to correct VMs you have already setup a section in the book
called Partition alignment walks you through the entire process of correctly
setting the alignment or fixing the older systems correctly.

Another area that I will point out is the use of
deduplication, compression and cloning to drive the efficiency of the storage higher.These software features allow customers to
store more systems on the storage array than if they used traditional hard
drives.Also there is how to use
snapshots for cloning, mirrors for Site Recovery Manager and long term storage
aka Snapvaults.At the end of the book
are some examples of scripts one might use for snapshots in hot backup modes.

Whether you are a seasoned veteran or newbie to the VMware scene,
there is a great guide that will help you from start to finish setting up your
vSphere environment.The information is
there, use the search feature or sit down on a Friday with a high-lighter,
which ever fits your style and learn a little about using a N series system
with VMware.